


WA → NY

by wickedlupin



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/M, Slow Burn, Tales of Secret Santa 2018, asch and luke are twins, luke and guy are somehow both the best and worst wingmen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:34:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedlupin/pseuds/wickedlupin
Summary: When he had heard how long it was going to take for his mother’s medicine to be shipped to her, Asch immediately began planning a cross-country road trip to pick it up for her himself.  He was going to do it alone, fourteen hours at a time, three days there, and three days back.  So how did he end up in the backseat of Guy’s Subaru with his twin brother and childhood crush?





	WA → NY

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FreeTheSoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeTheSoul/gifts).



> Written for Tales of Secret Santa 2018!!

“No stops,” Asch insisted from his place behind the driver’s seat, “We’re going to New York for Mother’s medicine, not to sight-see.”

Guy rolled his eyes as he started up the car. “Come on, Asch, lighten up. Susanne has enough medicine left to last her two weeks, we can afford to enjoy the trip.”

Asch kept his arms crossed, sitting stiff straight in his seat. “No more than one per day, then.”

“Why do you always have to be so serious?” Luke asked from the seat beside him, “You’re allowed to have fun, you know.”

“Of course I know that! I just don’t want to waste time, idiot.”

At this point in the argument, Natalia turned sideways in the passenger seat to look at Asch. “You’re worried about your mother,” she said kindly, “But Guy is right, she’s not in any danger. She’ll be safe until we get back.”

Asch avoided her gaze, every muscle remaining as stiff as before despite his heart melting in his chest. “One stop per day,” he repeated stubbornly, though his voice had lost its sharp edge.

 

And so they hit the road from Seattle, heading East. Asch put in his headphones and leaned against the door, obstinately avoiding as much conversation as he could. Behind the noise of the music, he could hear the other three talking and laughing as they sped down I-90.

“There are a lot of aviation museums along the way,” Guy was stating with a certain glint in his eye, “It would be a waste not to stop at one or two of them.”

“Well, on your day to choose our one stop, we can go to one of them,” Luke laughed.

Asch ignored them, and turned his music up louder. He had planned on taking this trip by himself. It would have been more comfortable that way. For one, he would be in the driver’s seat instead of crammed in the back with Luke, and everyone’s pillows and blankets. But these three never knew when to leave him alone, so of course he got roped into this big road trip event.

Halfway through the first day, Luke and Guy started singing along to classic 80s songs at an absolutely unreasonable volume. Asch couldn’t drown them out no matter how he tried, and finally popped out an earbud to shout at them.

“Can you tone it down?!”

“C’mon, Asch, we’re having a good time,” Luke protested, “You can sing along, too, no one’s stopping you.”

“Absolutely not.”

They resumed singing. Asch wasn’t sure he would survive this trip.

 

They stopped for lunch, and Asch insisted they eat on the road so they wouldn’t waste time. He traded out with Guy, giving him a break from driving and sending him to the back seat with Luke.

If Asch was driving, he was going to pick the music. He unplugged Guy’s phone and tossed it back to him, taking over the aux cord and resuming the album he had been listening to through his headphones: The Black Parade.

He pulled out of the Taco Bell parking lot, already feeling more at peace, when Guy laughed. “You still listen to this?”

Asch scowled. “Don’t make fun of me!”

Guy held up his hands. “Don’t get defensive! It’s just interesting how your music taste hasn’t changed in the last five years.”

Natalia giggled from the passenger seat beside him, and Asch felt his ears turn red.

“It’s good music!”

 

They stopped for the night somewhere in Montana, and booked two rooms in a cheap motel. “You two can decide who sleeps on the floor, but I’m taking one of the beds,” Asch told Guy and Luke as they entered their room.

“Why can’t you share with Luke?” Guy countered, “You guys are twins, surely you’ve shared a bed before.”

Asch bristled. “Why does that mean we have to share now?!”

“It’s fine,” Luke said dismissively. “I’ll take the floor.”

Guy opened his mouth to protest, but Asch beat him to it. “Why do you always take that so easily?! Grow a backbone already!”

Nineteen years of dealing with Asch’s temper left Luke unfazed. He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m taking half the bed, then.”

“Fine!”

 

Asch got everyone up early the next morning, and they hit the road with donuts. It was Natalia’s turn to drive, and Asch prepared to fight Luke and Guy for shotgun, but to his surprise, they surrendered it to him easily, with these smug little looks on their faces.

“What do you want to listen to?” Asch asked with a certain consideration that he reserved only for Natalia. She pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to him so he could plug it in.

“Just put my library on shuffle.”

Natalia’s music library was mostly musical theatre, with some movie soundtracks and other classical music sprinkled in. It wasn’t anything that Asch would usually listen to, but it was fitting for Natalia, and it made him smile, just a little. He didn’t put his headphones in as long as she was driving.

 

By the time they stopped for lunch on the second day, Asch had pulled his hair back in a braid, deciding he was no longer willing to fight the long strands in the cramped space. They stopped at McDonald’s at Luke’s request, and this time, Asch’s wish to stay on the road was overruled by the other three, who wanted an excuse to stretch their legs.

While Asch ate his Big Mac in the little booth inside, he could feel Natalia’s eyes on him. He met her eyes, and her cheeks turned pink. He felt his own face heat up in response.

“What?” he asked her, and she shook her head quickly.

“It’s nothing! I just don’t see you with your hair pulled back like that often.”

Asch tugged at the end of his braid, suddenly embarrassed. “It’s just a hassle to have long hair loose on a road trip, you know?” For some reason he felt the need to defend his hair choice.

“I know,” Natalia said, and Asch felt silly for being defensive, when Natalia showed no accusation. “It suits you.”

Asch felt a tiny smile tug at his lips, but it fell back into a frown when Luke elbowed him.

“She likes your stupid fancy hair,” he teased, with a big mischievous grin.

Asch was going to murder his brother.

 

It was an unspoken rule that Natalia got shotgun if she wasn’t driving. Asch was sure that if any of the others called it over her, she would let them have it, but they all left the seat open for her anyway. So when it was Luke’s turn to drive, Asch wound up in the back again.

Luke’s turn was shorter than everyone else’s, because the brat was a speed demon and had terrible road rage. He made everyone nervous and irritable, and after a couple short hours, Guy took the wheel from him.

Asch had returned to his headphones, attempting to just nap the hours away. It was hard to find just the right napping position in the backseat of a car, but Asch had finally gotten comfortable, and was dozing off—

Luke punched him hard in the shoulder.

Asch jumped out of his half-asleep state, tearing his headphones from his ears. “What the HELL, Luke!” he yelled.

“Yellow slug bug!” Luke answered innocently, pointing out his window.

Asch was _really_ going to murder his brother.

 

Even with Asch pushing for them to stay on the road as much as possible, they were behind schedule to arrive in New York. Luke and Guy had not passed up their One Allowed Stop each day, and had even overruled Asch’s wishes to keep bathroom breaks to a minimum. It seemed no one could take their breaks at the same time. Asch had lost count of the scenic rest stops he had been forced to stretch at.

The third day on the road marked Natalia’s day to pick a stop. Luke bothered her through the entire day about picking somewhere. “Don’t pressure me, Luke,” she chastised him. “If I can only choose one stop, I’m going to choose wisely!”

At the end of the day, she finally settled on a botanical garden in Wisconsin. The sun was already low in the sky when they pulled in. Asch got ready to stretch his legs out across the back seat and wait for the others to have their fun and come back, as he had done on their longer stops for the past two days.

He was settling in with his back against the car door, when Natalia opened it, and he almost toppled out onto the ground.

“Hey!”

Natalia covered her mouth, trying to keep from laughing. “I’m sorry,” she said, as Asch righted himself in the seat, turning so he could look at her. “Will you come in with us?”

Asch was caught off guard. “I was just… going to wait out here,” he said stupidly.

“I know,” Natalia said, offering him a hand, “But I want you to come with us.”

Asch was soft on Natalia, and he knew it. He ran a hand through his gelled bangs, which were falling down into his face, pulled loose from the many hours trying to sleep in the car. He couldn’t say no to Natalia. At least not when she seemed so sincere, with her hand outstretched like that.

“Okay,” he said finally, taking her hand and getting out of the car.

 

Natalia led the way into the garden, with Luke and Guy following, and Asch trailing just a bit behind them. The evening air was crisp and refreshing after three full days in the car. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

A sunset slowly spread through the sky as they walked, bringing out the deeper hues of the flowers, and turning Natalia’s hair golden. All four of them were dressed in sweats—any attempt to look presentable had dwindled after the first day of driving—but Natalia was just as radiant as ever. She smiled as she admired the garden, and Asch couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He had loved Natalia since they were kids. She was confident, a born leader, and a genuinely kind and good person. He admired everything about her.

Natalia turned around to smile at him, pulling him out of his thoughts. “The sunset reminds me of when we were kids,” she said. “It makes your hair look like a flame.”

Asch imagined his face looked like it was on fire, too.

“You remember that from when we were kids?”

“Of course I do. It’s a memory I hold dear.”

Asch gaped at her. “That’s a silly thing to hold onto,” he insisted, looking away from her. “We were just kids.”

Natalia crossed her arms. “If it’s so silly, why were you able to recall it so quickly?” she challenged.

Asch had no argument for that. Natalia fixed him with her fierce gaze, and he met it again.

“I still want to change the world,” she continued, “With or without you. But if you’re willing, I’d like to do it with you.”

She turned and walked further down the path before he had the chance to formulate an answer. Guy and Luke both stood just off to the side, eyebrows raised, jaws ajar. Asch shot them both a glare. “Don’t say _anything_ ,” he growled.

“I didn’t!” Luke argued, bristling a bit at Asch’s preemptive defense.

“This isn’t any of our business,” Guy cut in before they could start arguing. “But don’t you think you should go after her?”

“You’re right,” Asch snapped at him, “It’s none of your business.” He knew he was being stubborn. He knew that if Luke and Guy weren’t there, he probably _would_ have gone after her. But whatever she had meant by her final statement, Asch wanted to keep private between them. He turned in the opposite direction. “I’m going back to the car. Don’t take too long.”

 

The trip should have been easily completed in four days, but when they started out their fourth, they were still facing fifteen hours of driving. Asch finally put his foot down, and insisted that they only take necessary stops until they reached New York. The other three gave in and didn’t fight him too much on it, maybe because it was his turn to pick the stop, so he had the right to choose not to stop at all.

Asch picked up driving after lunch, when they were still only just entering Ohio. “Let’s just call it a night somewhere in Pennsylvania, and finish the trip tomorrow,” Guy reasoned. “It’ll be easier on all of us.” At this point, they were all getting tired and cranky. Asch didn’t want to take an extra day. If they took five days just to get there, it would be another week before he could get home. But he was too exhausted to argue about it. He just said nothing, unwilling to either agree or disagree. The consensus around him, though, seemed to be that they would stop in Pennsylvania.

By the time evening hit, Guy and Luke had both passed out in the back seat. Natalia was following the shape of the hills outside her window, humming along softly to the quiet tune that came through the car radio—they had all grown tired of loud music and singing along by now.

Darkness fell over the highway, and the quiet stretched on between himself and Natalia while the others slept. They were two thirds of the way through Pennsylvania now. If they pressed on, they could be in Manhattan in three hours.

“I’m gonna keep going,” Asch said quietly.

Natalia turned her attention from the passenger window to look at Asch’s silhouette, illuminated by the street lights.

“Okay.”

Asch glanced at her, taking his eyes off the road for just a moment. “You won’t argue?”

“I don’t mind. No one’s yelling anymore. It’s almost like I’m just sitting here with you.”

The quiet resumed once more. The soft classical piece over the white noise of the engine was calming, yet somehow, Asch’s heart pounded in his chest.

“I still do want to change the world, you know,” he proclaimed after several minutes.

“I do, too,” Natalia agreed simply, giving him time to continue.

“We always said we would when we were grown up. I’m nineteen now, but I still don’t think I’m really grown up. But I think as long as we’re together, we can really do something to make a real difference, one day.”

He couldn’t read Natalia’s expression in the darkness, but when she answered, her voice was filled with emotion. “I agree wholeheartedly.”

Asch reached between them and took Natalia’s hand where it rested on her seat. She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand, and he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach.

It was almost midnight when Luke finally woke up. “Hey, what time is it?” he grumbled. “I thought we were stopping in Pennsylvania!”

“If you’re unconscious, your vote doesn’t count,” Asch argued. “We’re twenty minutes outside Manhattan, so relax.”

 

Everyone crashed the moment they got into the motel, and for the first time since beginning the trip, they all slept in. Even Asch had to admit they needed a day outside the car, so they decided to spend the day in Manhattan before they began the long trip back to the West coast.

Right after breakfast, Guy dragged Luke out to some aviation museum he wanted to visit, leaving Asch with the room to himself. Asch took his time getting ready for the day, enjoying his first moment of solitude in almost a week. It felt nice to dress in real clothes and let his hair down again. Around noon, he finally tied his shoes and left the room to go in search of the pharmacy that had his mother’s medicine.

The door across the hall opened at the same time as his, and he and Natalia blinked at each other. Asch wasn’t sure what his face must have looked like, but Natalia laughed at him. “Fancy meeting you here,” she giggled.

“Where are you going?” Asch asked.

“I was just going to walk around the city. I didn’t think you were still here.”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m going down to the pharmacy now.”

“Do you mind if I come along?”

“I don’t mind.”

She fell in step beside him as they exited the motel and headed up Park Avenue.

 

After so much trouble getting to it, the medicine was surprisingly easy to obtain. The prescription had been filled by the pharmaceutical company and was waiting for him to pick it up in his mother’s name.

“Well, that took less time than expected,” Asch grumbled to the bottle of medication in his hand. He pocketed it.

“We can take a walk through Central Park,” Natalia suggested.

Asch smiled at her a little, the past couple of days with her having boosted his confidence. “Like a date?”

Natalia’s cheeks turned pink. “Perhaps like a date.”

Asch scuffed the sole of his shoe across the ground, smiling to himself. In Central Park, they were surrounded by people, dogs, pigeons—but Natalia filled up his whole world. It didn’t matter if everyone or no one was there with them.

Natalia took a deep breath. “That’s the moment I fell in love with you, you know.”

Asch stopped walking, his head snapping up to look at her. “What?”

“The memory we talked about the other day. You said it was silly that I held onto it. But when you promised me that we’d make a difference together… that’s when I fell in love with you.”

Asch’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he figured out how to say words again. “That was like… ten years ago.”

Natalia’s face was burning, but she kept her gaze level with his. “Yes. It was.”

Asch was having a harder time holding her gaze. Natalia was intense. “I’ve changed since then, you know.”

Natalia shook her head. “You’ve _grown._ If anything, you’ve changed into an even better person.”

It’s not that Asch never guessed at Natalia’s feelings for him. Looking back on their years together, this conversation should have happened a long time ago. But Asch’s insecurities would tell him that he guessed wrong, or that, of course, Natalia would surpass him and do good in the world on her own. Now, as he looked at her, all of that felt ridiculous.

“I love you, Natalia,” he blurted.

Natalia’s arms wrapped around his back, and her face pressed into his shoulder.

“I love you too, Asch.”

Asch felt warmth shoot through him, all the way to his fingertips. He brought his arms up around her shoulders and held her tight. He was allowed to have this. He wanted to cherish her forever.

He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Let’s get dinner on our own tonight, instead of meeting up with Luke and Guy. I’ve had enough of them.”

Natalia giggled. “They sure give you a hard time, don’t they? I’ll send Luke a text so they don’t wait up on us.”

 

They saw a lot of Manhattan, and yet Asch felt like he saw none of it at all. His eyes were always on Natalia, his thoughts on the warmth of her hand in his. With everything unsaid between them now laid out in the open, it was easy to be with Natalia. He felt free. He let her see his smile more than he probably ever had.

As the sun went down, the temperature dropped, and Asch noticed Natalia trying to curl into her knit sweater as they made the trek back to their motel. Asch shucked off his hoodie and draped it over her shoulders.

“You’ll get cold!” Natalia protested.

Asch shook his head. “I’m fine. Take it.” Natalia looked at him for a moment, considering whether to challenge him further, but gave in and brought the hoodie closer around herself. Asch chuckled and pulled the hood up over her head. “It swallows you up.”

She peeked out from under the hood to smile brightly at him. “It’s warm. Thank you.”

Asch didn’t feel cold at all, even in just the thin t-shirt he was left with.

They reached the motel and climbed the stairs to their floor. “We’ll have to get up early again tomorrow to head out,” Asch mused. Natalia hummed her agreement. They reached their section of the hall and stopped, facing each other between the opposing doors.

Asch looked at her. He wanted to kiss her. And suddenly, he realized he could.

He gently pushed the hood off her head, and ran his hand under her jaw, caressing the side of her neck gently. Her hair tickled his fingers as she leaned into his touch, and he tilted his head to kiss her.

Her lips were just as soft as they looked, moving slowly against his. Her hands found his waist and clutched onto his t-shirt, and Asch’s breath caught in his throat.

He could have kissed her all night, but he finally made the decision to pull back before he got too carried away. His thumb stroked her cheek gently. “Goodnight, Natalia.” He took a step back toward the door to his shared room, across the hall from hers, but she didn’t let go of his shirt.

“Don’t go yet,” she said softly.

Asch swallowed. “Okay,” he found himself saying, before he had the chance to think it over.

Maybe he _would_ kiss her all night.

 

Asch stood in the hall at 7am, staring at the door to his shared room with Luke and Guy. He and Natalia had spent half the night kissing, the other half talking, and finally passed out tangled up in each other’s arms. He had loved every second of it, but now he wondered why it never crossed his mind that he would have to face his brother and his friend after not returning to the room all night.

He took a deep breath and opened the door. Guy was crouched on the floor, packing up his duffel bag. He looked up when Asch entered, a clear smirk on his face.

 _“Don’t,”_ Asch warned before he could even open his mouth.

Luke peeked out from the bathroom with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “Di’ you spen’ da nigh’ with Nadalia?!” he shouted with a mouthful of toothpaste.

Asch ran his hands over his face. “It’s none of your business!” he yelled back at him, shoving past him to throw his things into his bag.

 

Luke and Guy kept up their smug act as they packed up the car. Asch got in the backseat, ready to pop in his headphones and spend another five days trying desperately to ignore them. The backseat door opposite him opened, and Asch kept his eyes on his phone, refusing to look at his brother.

“Luke, you can take the front seat.”

Asch’s head snapped up at Natalia’s voice, and he found her climbing into the back, scooting to the middle seat so they were closer.

Asch’s demeanor warmed as she took his hand. Perhaps the second half of this trip wouldn’t be so bad.

Looking back, the first half hadn’t been so terrible, either.


End file.
